Extreme Tech: 360 DVD, HD DVD playback still seriously flawed

[MikeB]

Does anyone know if audio playback is still a concern on the 360?

"Audio quality still seems to be a genuine concern though:

"As a music producer, the difference between good audio and bad audio can make or break my day so I tend to be very anal when comparing sources. First up was the 360 and to be honest I was a little disappointed, if not altogether surprised at the quality of the sound.

A couple of hundred quid will get you a very decent standalone CD player these days, but my beef with the 360 is that the audio sounds almost like an afterthought. That's kind of okay when you're playing games because your attention is drawn away from the 360's lack of sonic depth, but even when playing my test CD I found it a bit flat and unrewarding and the high end seemed to be out of step with the mid frequencies, giving the overall sound a synthetic, over-processed quality, a bit like a cheap MP3 player.

With the PS3 on the other hand, I have to say I was very impressed with the way it dealt with audio in general. As with the 360, when you're in mid fire fight, you don't really have time to stop and smell the roses, so I stuck in my favourite test CD (The Night Fly, by Donald Fagan, since you ask) and within a few seconds it was obvious that something very special was happening. It was like colonic irrigation for your ears - every guitar note seemed to hang in its own space, drums and percussion tell you exactly were they are in the stereo image and as for the bottom end, let's just say I don't think the people that live downstairs are going to send me a Christmas card this year!

The PS3's CD sound impressed me enough to compare it with my £500 Sony CD player that I use for work. Now this was a real revelation, because the PS3 beat it hands down in every way, eclipsing the fine detail delivered by my standalone player with a sound that seemed more natural and open overall."

http://www.avreview.co.uk/news/article/mps/UAN/1375/v/3/